Despite Hindus making up nearly 80 per cent of Bharat’s population, there are numerous instances that suggest the majority community is under attack, particularly during Hindu festivals and processions. A closer look at the data from the past decade reveals a troubling pattern: attacks on Navratri pandals, Ram Navami processions, Saraswati Mata Visarjan, and Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations have become disturbingly frequent and consistent. Not a single festival seems to pass without some form of violence. Almost invariably, these attacks are carried out either by Friday-frenzy mobs fueled by religious fanaticism or by stone-pelting from mosques and mazars when processions pass by with DJs, dhols or other forms of celebration.
Organiser has been at the forefront of reporting and exposing these incidents, highlighting the underlying agendas driven by religious hatred and, in some cases, the influence of global forces. The evidence points to a deliberate strategy to disrupt Hindu religious events and disturb communal harmony in the country.
With Ganesh Chaturthi around, there have already been reports of attacks. Processions carrying the murtis to the pandals have been targeted, with idols being desecrated and worshippers assaulted. In this article, we will examine data from 2017 to 2024 to trace these incidents, exposing the role of radical Islamist elements who plan these attacks with anti-national motives aimed at sowing discord by targeting the religious sentiments of the majority population.
It is crucial to note that these radical groups employ tactics specifically designed to incite violence and create chaos during significant Hindu festivals. Their actions are part of a broader strategy to escalate tensions between communities, threatening the peace and harmony that underpin Bharat’s diverse society.
From 2017 to 2024, numerous incidents have been reported where mobs, often driven by religious fanaticism, have disrupted peaceful celebrations, particularly during Ganesh Chaturthi and other significant Hindu events. Below is a detailed account of some of these incidents:
1. Lohardaga, Jharkhand (September 5, 2023): Communal tensions erupted in Valmiki Nagar, Lohardaga, when members of a Ganesh Puja committee were attacked by a group from the local Islamic community following a dispute over the location of a Ganesh Puja pandal. The situation escalated when Yogi Sena district head, Praveen Thakur, and his associates were assaulted by a group of 25-30 individuals, resulting in injuries to six people. The initial tension, resolved by the police, flared up again as soon as the authorities left.
2. Surat, Gujarat (September 7-8, 2023): In the Lal Gate area, a Ganeshotsav pandal was targeted by stone-pelting, allegedly by some minors from the Muslim community. The incident led to protests by hundreds of Hindus demanding strict action. Police responded swiftly with arrests, and security was increased in the area.
3. Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh (September 7, 2023): A Ganesh Chaturthi procession was attacked with stones while transporting the murti of Bhagwan Ganesh to a pandal near the Mochipura area. The first stone struck the murti, followed by more stones hitting police vehicles escorting the procession. Multiple FIRs have been lodged, and three individuals have been arrested.
4. Rajkot, Gujarat (August 26, 2023): A Hindu family making Ganpati murtis was attacked by three Islamist men—Amin Habib Sama, Rafiq, and Sameer—while painting the murtis. The attackers broke the murtis and insulted the family, leading to their arrest after a complaint was filed.
5. Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh (September 3, 2022): A Ganesh idol procession in Alinagar was violently attacked by a group of Islamists. The attackers escalated the situation by entering nearby homes and assaulting residents, leaving six individuals severely injured, raising concerns in the region.
6. Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh (August 28, 2022): Abrar Khan, an Islamist youth, was arrested for stone-pelting a Ganesh murti during festival celebrations. The local police swiftly registered a case against him under sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code.
7. Hubli, Karnataka (September 6, 2022): Attacks were reported on Ganesh Chaturthi processions near Eidgah grounds in Hubli and Bengaluru. The processions were disrupted by Islamist groups, leading to the arrest of Nawaz Ahmed and others involved in the violence.
8. Kamathipura, Maharashtra (August 21, 2022): An Islamist youth, Abdul Karim Attak Khan, threw an egg at a Ganesh murti, causing outrage among the local Hindu community. The police swiftly arrested Abdul, highlighting growing concerns over religious intolerance.
9. Vadodara, Gujarat (August 30, 2022): A peaceful Ganesh murti procession was attacked by an Islamist mob. Thirteen individuals were arrested for rioting and defiling a place of worship, adding to existing tensions in the city.
10. Bagdogra, West Bengal (September 4, 2022): Islamist miscreants attacked a Ganesh Puja pandal, damaging the murti and assaulting several people after a cultural program. This act of desecration deeply hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.
11. Giridih, Jharkhand (August 26, 2017): A peaceful Ganesh murti visarjan procession was violently attacked by Islamist extremists, leaving a 14-year-old boy, Amar Kumar, seriously injured after being shot. The incident caused significant unrest in the area.
12. Vadodara, Gujarat (August 11, 2017): Islamist extremists targeted a Ganapati procession, leading to chaos and violence, with 10 people injured and over 50 vehicles set on fire, escalating communal tensions in the region.
As mentioned earlier, the attacks on Hindu processions during Ram Navami in states like Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh—where radical Islamist groups engaged in severe stone-pelting, arson, and even direct assaults on Hindu homes—are part of a troubling and deliberate pattern. Notably, in West Bengal, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession near Fazir Bazar, Howrah, faced stone-pelting, and the police’s response by lathi-charging the devotees rather than apprehending the offenders further fueled tensions.
These violent incidents are not isolated to Ram Navami; similar attacks have targeted Hindu festivals such as Saraswati Mata Visarjan, Holi, Durga Puja processions, Hanuman Jayanti, and notably, Ganesh Chaturthi. This recurring violence against Hindu celebrations suggests a calculated effort by certain Islamist extremist groups to disrupt religious harmony, incite communal discord and undermine peace.
